The escort CJ McCollum scored 44 points as the Portland Trail Blazers leading scorer, who won this Saturday in overtime by 128-126 to the decimated Houston Rockets, affected by coronavirus infections.
The victory puts the Trail Blazers 1-1 at the start of the new season.
McCollum, who played 44 minutes, averaged one per minute after scoring 17 of 30 shots from the field, including 9 of 16 triples, and 1 of 2 from the personnel line, had three rebounds and delivered eight assists.
The starting guard of the Trail Blazers with 6.3 seconds left in overtime scored the triple that ensured the victory of the Portland team (1-1).
While the base Damian Lillard reached 32 points after recovering his best wrist touch, in addition to distributing nine assists and capturing five rebounds.
The pivots Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter they became the best in painting.
Nurkic He had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Kanter, who came out of reserve, reached 10 points and captured nine balls under the hoops.
The guard James Harden put aside all the controversy surrounding his presence with the Rockets, after having asked to be transferred and involved in a fine of $ 50,000 for not complying with security protocols against the coronavirus, and again showed his talent by getting 44 points and 17 assists.Harden, who with a triple had put the Rockets up in the partial score (125-126), after the basket of McCollum he had last possession of the ball again, but lost it and left the Houston team without a chance to force a second overtime or win.
Beside Harden, the young pivot Christian Wood, One of the signings achieved by the Rockets, he shone in his debut with the Houston team by getting 31 points and 13 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the new Rockets coach, Stephen SilasHe said he was very satisfied with the way the team had responded after arriving at the game without being able to train and with only nine players available, one more than the league requires for the games, of the 16 that make up the squad.
Several infections of Rockets players with Covid-19 forced the NBA to suspend the game last Wednesday that the Texan team had to play at the Toyota Center against the Denver Nuggets because it could not present the eight required players by the league.Harden He could not be included as he was not available as part of the punishment that the NBA imposed on him for violating the safety and health protocols established to fight the coronavirus. His four-day quarantine ended last Friday.
The Rockets had to travel to Portland without the point guard John Wall, center DeMarcus Cousins, guard Eric Gordon and forward Mason Jones, all on the Rockets list with “health and safety protocols” as the reason.
Those four players, if they return negative tests, will see the end of the seven-day quarantines next Wednesday and could play Thursday at their Toyota Center in Houston against the Sacramento Kings.
The guard-forward Ben McLemore and Kenyon Martin Jr., who tested positive for Covid-19, are voluntarily isolated in their respective homes under the medical supervision of the team.
